Question: How do you know if a source is scholarly? Here are a few questions to consider:

• Would this author have a reason for bias?

• Is this source old, or is it up to date (i.e., published within the past 5 years)?

• Is the source peer reviewed? (Do other researchers regard it as trustworthy; did they read it in order for it to be published, or is it an opinion piece?)

• Does this source cite other scholarly references?

Scholarly sources should be objective, up to date, and peer reviewed; therefore, sources such as blogs or general dot com websites are not as credible as an article in a peer-reviewed journal or a government report. When you provide supporting citations and scholarly references within your papers, your writing becomes a compelling piece of work. Supporting documentation gives your writing power.

The library at Walden is staffed to assist you in finding what you need to aid you in your journey to become a scholarly writer, as well as one who correctly uses scholarly research to inform professional activities. The librarians at Walden will assist you should you experience problems finding what you need, including searching through the large collection of virtual books, journals, and periodicals.

As part of this week's Discussion, you will explore the databases within the Walden library and compare and contrast articles found within the library to those found on other Internet sites.

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Review Learning Resources for this week.

• Locate two online articles that are relevant to your area of specialization
(MS/PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology) : one found using a general Internet search and another found within the Walden Library databases.

• Reflect on the sources of both articles, using the questions given above to determine if one or both articles are scholarly.